WATCH: Houses burn down after fire in Kosmos, Hartbeespoort

A fire that broke out in Kosmos, Hartbeespoort Dam, in the North West has luckily been extinguished, but not before wreaking havoc and causing houses and other property to burn down.

Crime activist Yusuf Abramjee shared video footage of the incident on X, leaving many in shock.

Watch here:

According to the NSRI (National Sea Rescue Institute), the Hartbeespoort Dam duty phone received the first emergency call from one of their NSRI crew on Sunday, reporting smoke and fire developing at Kosmos on the Hartbeespoort Dam shorefront.

Moments later, multiple emergency calls started to come through to the NSRI duty phone.

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"A fire apparently started in one of the houses and spread very quickly," said Arthur Crewe, station commander of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in Hartbeespoort Dam.

According to Crewe, the fire, which broke out around 12:00, was largely brought under control by late Sunday afternoon.

"Firefighters from Madibeng were deployed to extinguish the remaining flames and clear the area," Crewe said.

"A number of people were treated for smoke inhalation. Residents also helped to extinguish the flames.

"It is still unknown how many houses were destroyed, as this can only be determined later. There are thatch-roof houses, lapas, and boathouses, making it difficult to estimate," he said.

The NSRI reported that three rescue crafts from the NSRI and Strategic Rescue Unit (SRU), accompanied by fire-fighting SKEDs, hoses, and water pumps, were deployed to fight the fire.

"Our rescue craft arrived on shore within seven minutes of the first call where we were joined by HEMS Fire and Rescue services and HEMS ambulance services, and together immediately their fire engines, firefighting equipment, and our water pumps and firefighting equipment were deployed."

Strong winds caused the fire to spread fast, and by the time rescue services arrived, at least four residential homes, the veld, trees, and other structures were ablaze.

Madibeng Fire and Rescue Services were also deployed.

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Local residents also assisted in the efforts to extinguish the flames.

"A local man, who owns a helicopter company, launched a helicopter with a firefighting bucket during the afternoon and doused flames from multiple aerial approaches."

Numerous residential homes were gutted, destroyed, or severely damaged, and many structures, along with an extensive area of trees and veld, were also affected.

Fortunately, there have been no fatalities among residents, their pets, or emergency services personnel.

Only minor injuries were reported and treated during the afternoon.

Source:

• Beeld
• NSRI

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